Abraham Allegiant (Chronicles of the Nephilim Book 4) Read Free Page B

minimal possessions along with his wife Amthelo, and make the trek up to Babylon when necessary. Until then, she would be able to stay in Ur, while he accomplished his labor of mining and sculpting the sedimentary rock. He could make visits back home whenever he needed to.
    “I will need the army two new moons from now,” said Nimrod.
    Terah gulped. He knew not to complain to this king for he could see there was no compassion in his eyes, only power. He could tell that hesitancy of any kind would provoke wrath. Okay, he would not see his wife for two full months after all. He would be working morning, noon, and night carving an army of ten thousand soldiers and bringing them alive with the duplicated spell he held in his hand.
    Terah said with bold confidence, “You will have your army of golemim in two new moons.”
    Nimrod grinned and slapped Terah’s back.
    “Now that is what I like to see, a willing attitude. You and I will work well together, Terah. As you can imagine, I have very big plans. And I want you to be a part of them.”
    “I am at your service,” repeated Terah. It was a bit too pandering.
    “Of course,” said Nimrod, “if you reveal any of the details to anyone, I will torture and execute your entire family in front of your eyes, and then do the same to you.”
    “Of course, my lord,” gulped Terah. “Of course.”

Chapter 4
    Nimrod had chosen the middle of Mesopotamia for his city of Babylon. It was a convenient location between the north and south where the Tigris and Euphrates were in close convergence. That would enable control of the waterways of life that doubled as the main thoroughfare for trade. From Babylon, Nimrod had equal access to both his newly created northern cities as well as the conquered southern ones. He had found a plot of land that was well suited for his plans of a mighty city and settled the area in preparation. He placed pillared boundary markers with serpent and scorpion curses engraved into them as guarantors of his oath to destroy trespassers.
    Of the three clans of the sons of Noah, Nimrod had risen to become the leader of the Hamitic tribes. Joktan ruled the Shemites, and Phenech the Japhethites. As Nimrod extended his power, he did so through a beneficent suzerain treaty with Joktan and Phenech. They were allowed to engage in the local rule and administration of their cities, as well as their tribal traditions, so long as they paid tribute to Nimrod and supported the building of Babylon with some conscripted corveé labor.
    It was an uneasy alliance.
     
    But while Nimrod was pursuing his plans of building a city and temple, the goddess Ishtar had been pursuing her own plans. The City of Nineveh was just being built up north, and it was to be her very own city of patronage. She would be called “Ishtar of Nineveh.” It was her spoils acquired by a secret deal with Nimrod back in Uruk.
    Ishtar was the unruly and defiant goddess of sex and war. The pantheon of gods had rejected her for her megalomaniacal rebellion. She had a real problem with authority, unless she was the authority, so they ostracized her from their hierarchy. When she discovered their plans to unite with Nimrod in a scheme of global governance, she blackmailed them into giving her some territory and freedom in exchange for her promise not to undermine their goals. Each party would agree to live and let live.
    But Ishtar did not like the idea of letting anyone live. And she had no intention of being shipped up north to be out of the way of the action. She had other plans. She did not seek to overcome the assembly of gods, for that was not likely, even for the goddess of war. Rather, she would outdo them with a scheme so monumental, she thought it might even rival the originality of her previous idea for the War on Eden. At least in this postdiluvial world.
    The heart of her plan was a person. A single person whose identity was crucial for accomplishing the long-term goal of Nachash, the Serpent of